Metzel Humzinger was sitting eating a very late dinner, when what she believed to be a scrawny looking barn owl appeared at the window. With all of its feathers ruffled up. She often had a late dinner when she found herself working late for the ministry. Her dog was jumping around all over the place, as dog’s often do when they see a person eating. “Down Prethia” she said putting her hand on her dogs head, who obediently sat next to her chair but to any onlooker it was obvious that the dog was just itching to jump up and grab the piece of steak from her right off the fork!

Metzel laid out Severus’ letter and read it. “It’s time,” she stated, scribbling a letter to Severus she gave it to the obedient owl and picked up some flu walking over to the fire and throwing it in, she stepped in and disappeared. The owl took to the skies and was soon with Severus showing the little note scribbled on the back of his letter.

“She can’t even be bothered using her own stationary,” muttered Snape as he took the letter.

The letter read

Dear Severus,

Yes Lily did tell me about the situation for Harry and James along with a few of our dear friends. I shall gather them together and come to your office at 7pm Monday evening to explain things. In the mean time I suggest that you keep acting as you always have towards Harry, which I’m sure is in a calm and understanding manner. You must have great patience to have become the potions teacher, you always had a knack for it when we were younger but you also had a nasty temper as well. Looking forward to seeing you then.

Metzel Humzinger.

Snape screwed up the letter and threw it into the bin. “Great, so now she’s invited herself and her friends to my office on Monday night!”

Harry awoke still feeling pretty confused about the events of the night before. On the one hand he desperately wanted answers and to know how he could be allowed to live the last 12 years of his life believing a lie. But the overwhelming sensation of wanting to avoid Snape by all means possible was too strong a sway on Harry’s actions and he chose to simply try to pretend as if nothing had changed. This did not help him at Quidditch practice.

“What do you think you’re doing Flint?” asked Wood as he led the team onto the quidditch pitch.

“Quidditch practice!” was the sharp response.

Wood smiled and said “well you will find that I have booked the pitch for Gryffindor today.”

To which Flint smirked as he showed Wood a simple note.

“I, Severus Snape, do give Slytherin permission to practice on the quidditch stadium today due to the need of training their new seeker.” Read Wood. Draco Malfoy appeared behind Marcus Flint with a wide grin. “That’s not all that’s new this year!” he said.

“Wow that’s the new nimbus 2001!” said Angelina from the back of the team.

“Yes, you see Potter,” Draco said smirking, oh how he loved to show a personal advantage over that Potter no matter how good or bad that advantage seemed to be, “Some wizarding families can afford the best!”

Hermione and Ron were racing over to see what was going on, seeing the confrontation of the Slytherins. “Well at least nobody on the Gryffindor had to buy their way onto the team; they got in with pure talent!” Hermione stated aggressively, Harry simply beamed.

“What would you know? You filthy little mudblood!” Draco stated.

“You’ll pay for that one Draco, eat slugs!” Ron pointed his new wand at Draco but somehow missed and hit himself in the stomach.

“Let’s take him to Hagrid's, he will know what to do,” Harry suggested, between Harry and Hermione they got Ron to Hagrid’s hut.

“This calls for specialist equipment,” Hagrid said handing him a bucket, “nothing I can do I’m afraid but wait until it stops. What happened?”

“Draco called me a Mudblood,” Hermione stated upset.

“Hey,” Hagrid said putting his hand gently on her shoulder, “Some wizarding families may think that they are better than others due to their so called pure blood. Every wizarding family has some kind of muggle or squib amongst them. Those that think they are above it all just ignore those. But honestly, what matters is the heart and the magic of the witch. They have yet to find a spell our Hermione can’t do so don’t you think on it for one minute. He’s not worth it.”

To some..Hagrid may have seemed like an ignorant half giant. But seeing the hug Hermione raced to give Hagrid, it could be seen that sometimes he could be quite insightful and intelligent. Hermione decided then and there to make it her mission to help Hagrid in any way she could. Maybe enrol him into some classes at the Magical University?

But there was no time to think about that now. They were late for class..the first day with a new professor.

“Let me introduce you to your new Defence Against the Dark Arts class, me! Gilderoy Lockheart.

He started to make his way down the stairs to the classroom.

“Order of Merlin, third class, Honorary Member of the Dark Force Defence League, and five times winner of Witch Weekly most charming smile award. But we didn’t come here to talk about that, after all I didn’t get rid of the Banden Banshee by smiling at him.” Lockheart showed a smile that made a few people swoon, but most just found purely repulsive.

“Now,” he said looking serious, “it is my job to arm you against the most foulest of beasts known to wizard kind. You may find yourself facing your worst fears in this room. Know only that no harm can befall you whilst I am here. I need to ask you not to scream,” he said bringing his hand up to a blanket in which he was covering a cage, “it might provoke them!” he opened the door and let the cornish pixies go into the room.

The students stood away from their desks and headed straight for the doors, as the pixies came flying out of their cage and causing raucous in the room. Throwing books around and dragging Neville to hang on a chandelier in the middle of the room by the back of his t-shirt. “Please get me down!” he begged the teacher, who was backing himself as far away from the classroom as he could, now against the back wall leading back up the stairs and out of the room.

“Pesky pixie pestenomie!” he said with a big smile on his face so as to not scare the children. But the pixies merely stole his wand and kept causing their mischief. He bolted for the door stating as he left “I’ll ask you three to just nip the rest back into their cage.”

“What do we do now?” Ron asked.

“Immobulus!” Hermione chanted with her wand in the air. This made it quite easy for them to put the pixies back into the cages as requested by the teacher. Allowing them to finally return to their common room, as Harry exited the room he noticed a note scrawled on the door.

Harry, come to my office when you are through so we can commence your detention. We should get it over by dinner.

“You better go Harry,” Hermione stated. Harry sighed and walked towards Lockheart’s office.

Snape, after spending a day teaching a class full of dunderheads was finally returning to his potions lab to inspect the potions. See which ones could be rectified or sent on to St Mungo’s for various remedies. He often did this. I mean why not actually use the stuff that the students made if at all possible. Some, like Longbottom’s latest feeble attempt, was not worth the effort. He sighed and pointed his wand at THAT particular potion to make it disappear. For some reason he didn’t feel the need to be as domineering over Potter as he usually was and he smiled to think that his potion, Harry’s potion, was made just as good as Hermione’s and would be one of the potions that he would flask and send it over to St Mungo’s. His son had talent, HIS son. That was going to take some getting used to. As Snape finished that job for today a pop sounded in the room.

“Potions Master Snape sir, Professor Dumbledore wonders if sir is going to dinner tonight or if he should send dinner to your quarters?” Sophie, a sweet looking house elf in a tea cosy stated gently.

“I’m coming Sophie, can you have these potions sent on to St Mungo’s please?” Snape asked pointing towards the flasked and labelled potions.

“Yes sir, Sophie glad to help sir,” Sophie said and disappeared.

Snape put down his labeller and left the room for dinner.

Why oh why must Albus insist on having dinner in the great hall. Snape was happier where it was dark. Why do you think he took the potions master post and insisted upon it being in the dungeons instead of on the third floor corridor wing in amongst all that rush of people that the previous potions master had loved so much even picking his “favourites” and having special dinner for them! Snape was not up to such shenanigans and besides he had other work that was more important.

Snape walked through the doors of the Great Hall and took his normal seat at the end of the staff table. A sensible dinner was in store for him. Roast potatoes, pumpkin, peas and corn and some roast lamb. He slowly sat eating his meal contemplating the last few days events. Oh how he wished that he had handled that outcome in detention with Harry a bit better but he was still in total shock. It was one thing to watch over the brat, after all he was his best friend’s child. But to even contemplate that it could be his as well...no there had to be some mistake...wasn’t there? But Snape knew one thing for certain. Potion’s don’t lie. He sighed and looked around the room for the third time that night with his eyes slowing glazing over the Gryffindor table. Still no Harry. How peculiar, his little friends, know it all Granger and the red headed garbage guts were both stuffing their faces but no Harry chattering along between them...where is he?